Issues, Codes and Conventions of Factual Programming, by Summer Funnell

1. Codes and Conventions
Factual Programming
Summer Funnell

2. A factual programme is a type of programme that is based on facts, the
purpose is to present these facts to the audience so that they can either agree
with or disagree with these facts.
Modes of Documentaries:
- Expository: to make an argument.
- Poetic: emphasizes visual associations, tonal or rhythmic qualities, description and form.
- Reflexive: calls attention to the assumptions and conventions that govern documentary to increase our
awareness of how films construct representations of reality.
- Observational: uses the observations of an unobsructive camera to create direct engagement with the
everyday life of subjects.
- Participatory: emphasizes the interaction between the filmmaker and the subjects.
- Performative: highlights the subjective or expressive aspect of the filmmaker’s own involvement with a
subject to heighten the audience’s responsiveness to the subject and involvement.

3. There are also three different conventions that may be seen in the
different types of documentaries.
Media products can be fictional, factual or fiction based on fact.
1. Realism- Shows actuality footage(real footage), techniques that would be seen would be things
like; handheld camera, interviews with people involved in the subject, statistics and graphs to support
the facts. They may also show the the setting up of camera's before the filming.
2. Dramatization- mainly creating a drama out of a real life situation so may include things like cliff
hangers, voice overs, music, graphics and this is all done through a re-enactment of the situation.
3. Narrativisation- the narrative side of things is purely about creating a story based on facts and
having a clear story line.

4. Codes and Conventions of News Readers:
• conduct in depth research, identify and develop news stories of interest
• edit copy from other reporters and agencies
• have an understanding of the stories/events
• write news bulletins, links and assist in the production of scripts
• research and conduct interviews in the studio or on location
• provide briefings to crew and contributors
• need to be unopiniated/subjective
Studio News Readers
(Physical):
Skills/Attributes:
• communication skills
• professional
• quick-thinking
• listening skills
• knowledge of events
• academic/qualified
• connect with viewers
• able to work under pressure
• concentration
• editorial knowledge
• behind desk/in front of screen/window/etc.
• smartly dressed presenters/readers
• direct address - eye contact to the camera
• looking at the audience (connect to them)
Field Reporters:
• report new from outside the studio
• present ‘live from the scene’
• aka – “off-scene reporters”
• can pre-record broadcasts to be shown as part of news show
• locations: live events, war zones, sporting matches, etc.

5. Codes and Conventions of News Programmes:
Codes are systems of signs, which create meaning. Codes can be divided into two categories –
technical and symbolic. Technical codes are the ways in which equipment is used to tell the story in a
media text. Symbolic codes show what is beneath the surface of what we see.
Conventions are the generally accepted ways of doing something. There are general conventions in any
medium, such as interviewee quotes in a print article.
• reader behind desk in studio
• background: screen/window/studio
• close-up shot/establishing
• hand held camera
• archive footage
• interviews
• vox pops
• selective editing
• diegetic/non-diegetic sounds
• narrative voice over
• script
• use of graphics
• different camera shots/angles
• camera on tripod